Category: Armley

Armley – February 2018

Meowza came to visit us after her owner had noticed a lump on her back end. She had also become lethargic and uninterested in food. We were immediately able to recognise that Meowza had developed an abscess. Due to its position, however, it was impossible to tell if this was related to a possible cat bite, or to her anal glands. In order to treat the abscess, we admitted Meowza that morning. This would allow us to anaesthetise her and flush and clean the abscess.

Surgery

Once we had anaesthetised Meowza, we were able to clip her hair back and take a closer look at the abscess. This closer examination revealed a patch of necrotic (dead) tissue, which we would need to remove. Fortunately, we were able to establish that the abscess had not compromised the rectum or vagina, which would have made for a far more complicated recovery. Once this full examination was complete, we were able to fully flush and clean the abscess. We also cut away all of the dead tissue. Once this ‘dirty’ part of the operation was complete, we moved Meowza to a sterile area in order to close the wound. Due to the amount of removed tissue, this was a little tricky, but manageable. We also placed a drain in the wound.

Recovery

Once Meowza had fully recovered from her anaesthetic, we were able to send her home. She would need to stay indoors until she had healed and a buster collar was required to stop her licking at the wound. We also prescribed some antibiotics to stop any infection in the wound.

A few days later, Meowza was back. She was healing really well and we were able to remove her drain. Another couple of weeks passed before she came back in for a final visit. This time, the wound had almost completely healed and we were able to remove her stitches. After being so well behaved, despite having such a large and painful abscess, we think Meowza is a worthy winner of our Pet of the Month award this month. Well done Meowza!

Armley – January 2018

This is four-year-old Frank, the Armley surgery Pet of the Month for January 2018. Frank came to see us recently after being out of sorts and overgrooming his coat. He had also recently lost a tooth and seemed tender around his mouth. On examination, we were able to see straight away that Frank was suffering from periodontal disease. His gums were badly infected and he had already lost a few teeth. This is very rare for such a young cat and meant that Frank would likely need a significant amount of dental work. The full extent of work required would not become clear until we were able to anaesthetise him and take a closer look.

Dental Surgery

The following week, Frank came back in for his dental surgery. After we administered his anaesthetic induction, we were able to properly examine Frank’s teeth. Unfortunately, this closer examination revealed that his teeth were in an even worse state than we had first thought. Five of Frank’s teeth were already missing and we had to remove a further 13. We then cleaned up and polished the remaining 12 teeth, to give them the best chance of surviving. We also administered pain relief and antibiotic medication to support Frank’s recovery.

Recovery

A few days later, Frank came back to see us for a check-up. He was recovering from his surgery really well, and his owners reported that he was much happier in himself. The dental work had not only resolved Frank’s behavioural issues but had also given him a new lease of life.

Throughout Frank’s treatment, he was an absolute superstar. He was a model patient and was extremely cuddly and affectionate with the staff during his day with us. After maintaining such a friendly temperament despite such extensive dental work, we think Frank is a deserving winner of our Pet of the Month award this month. Well done Frank!

Armley – December 2017

This is Max the Beagle, who is the Armley surgery Pet of the Month for December 2017. 5-month-old Max came to see us back in November after having a run in with his resident feline friend. Max had managed to get a little too close for comfort and had received a scratch to the eye. Following the scratch, he had been unable to open his eye properly. There was also discharge coming from the eye. To properly examine the surface of the eye, we applied some special drops, which revealed a scratch of around 4mm in the centre of his cornea. We prescribed some pain relief and eye drops to help the eye to heal, before sending Max home to continue his recovery.

Ulcer

Two days later, Max came back for a check-up. Unfortunately, an ulcer had developed on the cornea. This was significant enough that we were unable to see the iris. In order to resolve this issue, we prescribed some different drops and a corneal repair gel.

A few days later, we saw Max back again for another examination. The ulcer had started to reduce and was showing signs of healing. Unfortunately, we were still unable to really see what was going on inside the eye. Because of this, and the risk of infection from this type of wound, we prescribed a course of antibiotics to support Max’s recovery.

Max’s eye after treatment.

Recovery

Just over a week later, Max came back to see us again. His eye had made a remarkable recovery and, apart from a small amount of scarring, had now completely healed. Given the swift reaction, once we had prescribed antibiotics, we suspect that there may have been inflammation within the eye, caused by an infection following the injury. After receiving such a painful injury at such a young age, we think Max is fully deserving of our Pet of the Month award. Well done Max!

Armley – November 2017

Meet Mabel, the Armley surgery Pet of the month for November 2017. Mabel came to see us back in April after starting to suffer from skin irritation. She had started to lose some of the fur on her abdomen and her skin was slightly scabby. We sent her home with some special shampoo, which is designed to soothe the skin. Unfortunately, only a few days later, Mabel came back to see us again. Unfortunately, her skin had now become infected. As a result, we prescribed her with a course of antibiotics. Continue reading… “Pet of the Month – Mabel”

Armley – October 2017

Meet Tom, the Armley surgery Pet of the month for October 2017. Tom first came to see us in mid-September after his owners noticed that he was not himself, and hadn’t eaten for a couple of days. When we were able to examine him, we immediately noticed that his bladder was completely filled and solid to the touch. This was a very concerning symptom, as a blocked bladder can become fatal very quickly. Even when we are able to quickly remove the blockage, there is a high risk of acute kidney failure. Continue reading… “Pet of the Month – Tom”

Digsy posed beautifully on the ‘Freddie Gilroy and the Belsen Stragglers’ statue in Scarborough.

Armley – September 2017

Meet Digsy the Golden Retriever, who is the Armley surgery Pet of the Month for September 2017.

Digsy is not yet 6 months old but has been suffering from diarrhoea quite a bit over his short life. His owners had tried some of the usual advice, such as a 24-hour period without food, before bringing him in. He was also tried on higher quality diets and bland food. For the next step, we prescribed some antibiotics and a digestive support paste. Though this initially improved the situation, the diarrhoea soon returned. At this point, we sent a faecal sample to the lab for analysis. This test checked for Campylobacter and Ecoli amongst other things. This test came back negative, meaning we were still in the dark about the cause of Digsy’s digestive problems.

As a next step, we advised a complete diet change for Digsy. He had primarily been eating fish based diets up to this point, so we recommended that he stop these entirely. He was then to start on a bland diet, before slowly introducing a meat based dog food. If this did not improve his condition, we would need to book him in for an ultrasound scan. Fortunately, since this change in diet, Digsy’s digestive problems have completely resolved. It was a long road to get him back to full health, but we hope that he is now back on track for a long and healthy life with his owners.

Throughout his treatment, Digsy has always been a model patient, so we think he is a worthy winner of our Pet of the Month award this month. Well done Digsy!

Armley – August 2017

This lovely lady is Socks, who is the Armley surgery Pet of the Month for August 2017.

Socks recently came to see us after her owner had noticed a change in her behaviour. She had suddenly started pawing at her mouth, smacking her lips, excessively salivating and struggling to drink. These symptoms began after Socks had eaten a raw pork bone, so it seemed like this was likely to have started the problem. Because it is very difficult to properly examine a cats mouth while awake, we decided that we should admit her for an anaesthetic. This would allow us to more properly examine Socks’ mouth. If this examination was unsuccessful, it was likely that Socks would need to visit out Thornbury hospital for x-rays and further examination. Continue reading… “Pet of the Month – Socks”

Armley – July 2017

13-year old Bella came to see us back in August 2016. She had lost her appetite and was consequently losing weight fairly quickly. Initial blood tests showed that Bella was suffering from kidney failure, and had also developed hyperthyroidism. To treat her overactive thyroid, we started Bella on some medication. We also recommended a special renal food, designed to help her kidneys to work more efficiently. Over the following month, Bella began to put weight back on and seemed much happier in herself. Initially, she did suffer from some slight skin issues following the introduction of her medication, but these resolved fairly quickly.Continue reading… “Pet of the Month – Bella”